Publications by authors named "Maria Comanescu"

Unlabelled: Objectives-To evaluate ultrasound markers during a first-trimester (FT) routine ultrasound examination for an early detection of open spina bifida (OSB) and to correlate the sonographic findings with the morpho-histological ones.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective research was performed using data from foetuses that underwent FT anatomy scans (FTAS) with a gestational age between 11 weeks and 13 weeks and 6 days in the Prenatal Diagnostic Unit of the Clinical Emergency County Hospital Craiova from October 2022 until September 2023.

Results: The study included 648 FT singleton pregnancies and 5 OSB cases were detected.

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Background: The effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during pregnancy remain relatively unknown.

Aim: We present this original paper where we analyzed 60 parturients, at term, 30 without associated infection (C-) and 30 with associated infection (C+), present at birth.

Methods: We analyzed the blood count and placental microscopic structure through classical and immunohistochemical staining and observed the placental areas affected by the presence of SARS-CoV-2.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to assess how effective first-trimester ultrasound features are in identifying central nervous system (CNS) anomalies in fetuses by analyzing various brain structures and potential abnormalities.
  • - Out of 1,943 single pregnancies examined, 17 significant cases of CNS abnormalities were discovered, including serious conditions like spina bifida and hydrocephaly, with an overall detection rate of 72.7% in the first trimester.
  • - The results indicate that a thorough CNS evaluation during the first trimester is both feasible and effective, allowing for early detection of major brain abnormalities in most cases.
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In the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis, there are general systemic factors which play a major role, such as osteoporosis, with menopause as the most common etiological factor, and other pathological determining conditions for osteoporosis as well (ovary, thyroid and malignant tumors). The aim of the present study was to assess the correlations between periodontal indices and osteoporosis. The study was performed on 35 patients with periodontal disease aged between 45 and 79 years.

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Adenomyosis is a benign pathology, common to both women at reproductive age as well as later during menopause. This condition is accompanied by a strong symptomatology, which has induced intense research on this topic. From a morphological point of view, it is represented by the existence of endometrial glands and, sometimes, of the periglandular stroma (endometriosis) in the structure of the myometrium, at a significant distance from the normal endometrium.

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Background: The KRAS gene mutation is the most common somatic change in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and is predictive of resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy in the metastatic forms. Microsatellite instability (MSI), a mismatch repair (MMR) system defect, accounts for 15-20% of all CRCs, more frequent in early stages. CRCs with MSI present better prognosis, a distinct histopathological aspect and a different response to chemotherapy.

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Aim: To assess left ventricular (LV) systolic function and morphology in patients with severe dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), using both conventional and a complex technique, speckle-tracking echocardiography, and evaluate the correlation between pre-ejection period and left ventricular ejection period (PEP/LVET) ratio, global longitudinal strain (GLS), and severity of the condition.

Patients, Materials And Methods: Seventeen patients were enrolled after rigorous criteria. Echocardiography was performed in conventional and speckle-tracking mode, in all patients with DCM, in sinus rhythm.

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The Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome (HWWS) is a complex congenital malformation, originally described as a triad of symptoms: didelphys uterus, low genital obstruction and unilateral renal anomaly. The term OHVIRA is an acronym (obstructed hemivagina/hemicervix with ipsilateral renal anomaly) and refers to the same syndrome. It gained acceptance in recent years, due to reports of cases having a non-didelphys uterus (normal, septated or having other abnormalities).

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Perinatal autopsy remains the gold-standard procedure used to establish the fetal, neonatal or infant abnormalities. Progressively, perinatal pathology has become a specialized field with important roles of audit for fetal prenatal diagnostic tools, in parents counseling regarding future pregnancies, in scientific research, for epidemiology of congenital abnormalities and teaching. The differences between prenatal ultrasound and autopsy reports represent a strong argument for the autopsy examination following termination of pregnancy.

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Steatosis is a frequent feature of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Steatosis may be an important cofactor in both accelerating fibrosis and increasing liver necroinflammatory activity in chronic hepatitis C. The main objective of this study was the evaluation of biological response rates, early viral response, sustained viral response in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with Interferon-alpha (IFN-α), Pegylated (PEG)-IFN-α2a or -α2b plus Ribavirin and to relate it to the presence of hepatic steatosis.

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Introduction: We conducted a retrospective study on patients who were hospitalized in the Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, Romania, between 2009-2014. We selected 75 patients out of 248 cases of fatty liver disease who underwent liver biopsies performed during surgical procedures for various diagnoses.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed the patients' data recorded in examination charts: anthropometric parameters [height, weight, body mass index (BMI), abdominal circumference], metabolic lab tests (blood glucose, lipid profile), liver destruction enzymes, imaging examinations (abdominal ultrasound).

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In chronic hepatitis, pathologies reveal a prominent inflammatory infiltrate portal consisting mostly of lymphocytes and plasma cells invading the portal spaces, although one can also identify macrophages, neutrophils or eosinophils. In all the forms of chronic hepatitis, fibrosis starts in the portal area, namely periportally, subsequently extends towards the lobules to the central veins, causing septa, followed by fibrosis. We studied 52 patients with chronic hepatitis C, who underwent a hematological, biochemical, virological and histopathological investigation.

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Colorectal cancer represents a severe public health issue. Recent studies have shown the essential role played by nerves and their neurotransmitters in tumor initiation and progression. The aim of this study is to asses the expression of beta 2-adrenergic receptors (β2A) for adrenaline and noradrenaline, and the expression of M3 muscarinic receptors (M3R) for acetylcholine (neurotransmitters produced and released by sympathetic and parasympathetic afferents of the digestive tract and also by the enteric nervous system) in different tumor gradings of colorectal adenocarcinoma, and also the tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) for the nerve growth factor produced by the cells of colorectal adenocarcinoma.

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Ovarian cancer is still the leading cause of death from malignant genital tract lesions. Ovarian carcinomas represent about 90% of cancers that arise in the ovaries and are commonly diagnosed around menopausal age. This study examines different aspects of the heterogeneity of ovarian carcinomas and included 50 cases, 10 cases for each subtype.

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This review emphasizes the role of oxidative stress in diabetic nephropathy, acting as trigger, modulator, and linker within the complex network of pathologic events. It highlights key molecular pathways and new hypothesis in diabetic nephropathy, related to the interferences of metabolic, oxidative, and inflammatory stresses. Main topics this review is addressing are biomarkers of oxidative stress in diabetic nephropathy, the sources of reactive oxygen species (mitochondria, NADPH-oxidases, hyperglycemia, and inflammation), and the redox-sensitive signaling networks (protein kinases, transcription factors, and epigenetic regulators).

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Iron oxide nanoparticles are promising candidates for theranostics in cancer, that aims to achieve in one-step precise tumor imaging by magnetic resonance, and targeted therapy through surface attached anti-cancer drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate in preclinical setting the biocompatibility of new iron oxide-based nanoparticles that were coated with L-DOPA for improved dispersion in biological media. These nanostructures (NPs) were designed for biomedical applications as contrast agents and/or drug carriers.

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Chronic hepatitis C affects an estimated 170 million people worldwide and causes approximately 350 000 deaths each year. The current antiviral therapy allows the virus eradication or the permanent inhibition of the virus replication (sustained virological response, SVR), the reduction of the inflammation, and the prevention or the reduction of liver fibrogenesis (histological response). We studied the histopathological aspects found during percutaneous liver biopsy in patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection who were treated and monitored over a period of two years.

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Prenatal development of the human brain from undifferentiated neuroepithelium, crosses numerous steps towards primordial organization and subsequent cytoarchitectural layering, ascending and progressive from the lower cortical layers to the superior ones. Our study represents a systematic, comparative assessment of imaging studies and the histological evaluation of the prenatal development of the human brain. We evaluated 232 cases using 3D ultrasound.

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The review pinpoints operational concepts related to the redox biology network applied to the pathophysiology and therapeutics of solid tumors. A sophisticated network of intrinsic and extrinsic cues, integrated in the tumor niche, drives tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Critical mutations and distorted redox signaling pathways orchestrate pathologic events inside cancer cells, resulting in resistance to stress and death signals, aberrant proliferation and efficient repair mechanisms.

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Introduction: Intratumoral heterogeneity implies the existence of differences between tumor cells, which can best be shown by histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. The histological study is a mandatory step in any research aimed at characterizing tumor heterogeneity. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) also plays an important role in the differentiation of tumor types, assessing aggressiveness.

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Endometrial carcinoma is the most common malignancy in the female genital system and has increased in incidence during the past years. Our study was retrospective and included 79 patients with diagnosed endometrial adenocarcinoma. The parameters investigated in the study included clinical status, menopause, history of estrogen intake, obesity, histological results, transvaginal ultrasonography.

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Routine histopathological criteria are poor predictors of the outcome in meningiomas. The present study tried to determine if some adhesion cell molecules could be helpful in assessing the histological aggressiveness in meningiomas of all grades. Our series comprised 113 cases, WHO grade I (n=53), WHO grade II (n=47) and WHO grade III (n=13).

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